Original
by HeadGirl07
Summary: Takes place immediately after Breaking Dawn. Just a little conversation after "a night for celebrations."


I heard that lark again in the morning, trilling its song. Having not broken the bed yet, I was in his arms, just where I wanted and needed to be. I could hear our daughter in the next room, snoring softly, my little angel. Could she really sleep through all that? I sure hope so. I shivered then, just thinking about it. And Jake… Curse you Jacob. I owe him so much but… I'm glad he's not here just now. I reminded myself silently, _Six and a half years, six and a half years, don't think about it…_

"Are you okay Bella?" Edward asked, holding me tighter. He looked at me with liquid gold. "What are you thinking?" He smiled then, dazzling me, with a mischievous look gracing his lips.

It took me a second to realize what he was going on about. _Right. _I concentrated then, this time not holding his face in my hands but leaning my back into him, trusting that he wouldn't distract me.

Edward gasped again, just like when people experience Nessie's gift for the first time. Curse you Jacob. No wonder Edward got the nickname in his head. It was just easier.

"You could compromise," he said, grinning into my hair. "Maybe Ness would be a better nickname?"

That would work.

He chuckled. "Problem solved."

But it's still hard not to call her Nessie when she's still, you know, small. Well… young.

"Not for long, love. Not for long." Edward turned me toward him. I wish he didn't. I faltered, letting my shield in close, almost protecting my thoughts again. I frowned while looking at his perfect chest, but was able to recover.

Edward gave a bashful look. "Sorry. Getting better though, right?"

I'm no superhero, despite Alice's claim. He believes in me too much, like how I believed in him; resisting me when my blood sang, telling him to release himself and kill me already. I thought it wasn't that hard, since Edward can do just about anything, but when I first smelled those humans… How the heck did he survive through me? I started to remember his look in Biology and in the front office. It seemed so long ago. The memories were still incredibly muddy.

"If you keep thinking about them you'll remember. It helps that Charlie knows a little about us now, just enough. He'll help you remember."

What about Renée?

"I'm not sure yet… On the one hand I think Charlie is right, maybe she won't be ready for this. Then I remember how she is. She'll probably be fine with it as long as Jacob doesn't phase in front of her."

I held in a growl. I was still angry at him for phasing with Charlie. Then I groaned quietly. I owed him for this too. Just more stuff on the list. Suppose that's why he's my best friend. If he hadn't been so rash, Charlie might have been no longer in my life. I wonder if Charlie had his gun with him at the time…

Edward chuckled. "You'll have to ask him that."

My mind started to wander, still concentrating to hold off the shield. Feeling his marble smooth chest I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with air, tasting it. I savored his honey-lilac-sun scent. I thought about how I smelled to them. Jake said everyone smelled sickeningly sweet. What did I smell like?

It was Edward's turn to inhale. "I would say… freesia… a little woodsy---"

Hope I didn't get that from Jacob. Edward smiled and continued.

"More like an inviting fireplace if that sounds any better. Then there's… satin---" I cocked my head questioningly. Alice seemed to be able to pick out my future scents…

"--- but I think the most prominent scent would be… apples."

Apples?

"Yes, apples. Nothing wrong with apples I hope?"

No, no, of course there was nothing wrong with apples. But… I remembered first opening my eyes to my new life and taking in the flavors of the aromas around me. _Cinnamon, hyacinth, pear, seawater, rising bread, pine, vanilla, leather, apple… _Ah. I knew someone smelled like apples. How unoriginal.

Edward sighed, frustrated at my thought process. "Of course you're original, Bella. I still cannot fathom how you see every detail about yourself to have some sort of imperfection."

Who smells like apples? I thought, not distracted in the least.

He looked like he was going to sigh when he chuckled instead.

Who is it? I thought again, more emphasis in my thoughts. I never classified each of my family's scents. I just knew which scent belonged to which person, not what_ exactly _the scent was.

"That vanilla-leather-apple scent you listed would belong to… Emmett."

"Emmett?" I asked, shocked into speaking. Of all the people…

"Yes, Emmett." He stroked my cheek, again almost breaking my concentration. With his smug look intact, he kept going. "But again there are clear differences. He smells like apples but it's tangier, sharper… I suppose closer to a spicy cider? You… You smell crisp, more like a real apple or an orchard of apples. More sweet and delicious and… ripe."

That did it. The smooth, velvet tone and perfect symphony succeeded in breaking my focus, so seductively he said it… I'm not sure if he was aware at all. I was caught off guard. "Oops," said Edward.

I sighed, still not content with my smelling even a little bit like Emmett. "It's time to see Ness anyway." I loved how that much better version sounded. I bet I'll still call her Nessie, though. "She'll be waking up."

"True. Then I suppose it's time to get dressed. You know, Alice still hasn't shown you how to use your closet."

"I didn't know there was a wrong and right way to use a closet…" I didn't want to think about Alice teaching me to use the closet, that huge _area_ she convinced Esme to put in. I don't even want to call it a room compared to the rest of the house. A room is enclosed, walls and so forth. The "closet" was an area or space, no boundaries. Besides, even though I know she suffered just as much as we did at home, I still thought she owed me for not giving me any hope. I walked into the room at a normal, human pace while Edward followed me in.

He found his clothes quickly enough. He looked at me. "It might not be a bad idea to explore. Ness won't wake up for a bit longer. She's still absorbed in her dreams… Go ahead and search through the racks. You can find the things that are wearable, and for that matter bearable, to be seen in public with and you can memorize what the scents are."

Edward… Why did he have to have logic on his side?

* * *

AN: I was _not _planning on this being long. I was _supposed _to be working on something else. I was_ trying _to keep this short so that I could work on my other project, which is more long term. But I ended up with this. I hope you've enjoyed reading it. I'm still upset I didn't work on my Rose story, though. Not the blond one, one of a... red-haired variety. ;) Thank you for reading!


End file.
